Education Minister Leighton Andrews has warned that the Westminster Government’s “public school” attitude is in danger of breaking up Britain.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews has warned that the Westminster Government’s “public school” attitude is in danger of breaking up Britain.

The Labour minister attacked the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Government’s record on education and welfare reform and accused it of a policy of “English exceptionalism” and a failure to consult with the devolved administrations that can be traced back to the public school system.

The attack on the influence of the fee-paying education system on the Government echoes Conservative MP Nadine Dorries’ claim the Government is “run by two public school boys”.

His words also echoed the criticism of senior Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes that leading Conservatives acted as if they were "born to rule".

Speaking in Aberystwyth last night, Referring to the Government’s plans to change CGSEs and A-Levels, Mr Andrews said: “The coalition government’s response reflects the timeless born-to-rule assumptions of the English public school system that trained administrators to run an empire – the imposition of an English exceptionalism that today threatens the unity of the United Kingdom itself... [Under] the coalition, it is English policy that is moving away from the other constituent nations of the UK.

“English exceptionalism is the political practice of this Conservative-led coalition.”

In his lecture, Mr Andrews argued the Welsh Government was in the “European mainstream” in resisting high tuition fees for students.

Calling for a “new vision for the UK”, he warned that key questions were left unanswered about welfare reform, claiming “the UK government takes England as the default model for service delivery”.

Neil Roskilly, of the Independent Schools Association, was alarmed by Mr Andrews’ comments, saying: “While there are issues over which the independent education sector would take issue with Westminster, it does seem quite extraordinary that the minister seeks to explains everything in class terms.

“The notion that policy is driven by an outmoded desire among private schools to perpetuate some form of colonial administration is utterly bizarre.

“Many independent schools are not the monolithic structures of popular fiction, but are small charitable institutions that provide pupils with the best possible start in life.

“Private schools in Wales are among the best in the world and many work in partnership with state schools for the benefit of both pupils and teachers.

“It’s simply unhelpful to perpetuate a class-ridden dialogue that doesn’t reflect reality, in Westminster on anywhere else for that matter.”

However, Owen Hathaway of NUT Wales Policy Officer had concerns about the UK Government’s education policy and the impact on Wales.

He said: “There is a difficult balancing act to be found at the heart of the Westminster Government where education is concerned. At a policy level education is devolved. With the introduction of academies and other such detrimental proposals in England we can be very thankful that is the case.

“Clearly the agenda being pursued by the Secretary of State for Education at Westminster is one that is systematically dismantling the English education system. The Westminster Government does retain a big influence on teachers lives through control of their pay and conditions.

“However, even where decisions are taken in a UK context they are not ones that teachers in Wales welcome. Proposals around the regionalisation of pay as well as the hugely regressive and unfair pensions cuts teachers are facing is damaging to the profession no matter what part of the UK you live in.”

In his wide-ranging speech, Mr Andrews said the UK Government was “unable to answer key questions we have as to how they intend to mandate people onto devolved services or withhold training allowances including Welsh Government training allowances, from trainees who have a benefit sanction imposed or pending.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “It’s down to the Welsh and Northern Irish administrations to decide how to run their education systems - we do what we think best for English students.

"We make no apology for breaking the constant treadmill of exams and retakes throughout students' GCSE courses – school shouldn't be a dreary trudge from one test to the next.

“Sitting and passing modules has become the be-all and end-all, instead of achieving a real, lasting understanding and love of a subject.

“Students shouldn't be continually cramming to pass the next exam or re-sitting the same test again and again simply to boost their mark - then forgetting it all by moving onto the next module immediately.”

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